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Rating: 
Summary: Awful!
Review: I bought this book because I had seen (and suffered through) Steves' amateurish and infantile videos on visiting Italy. I was curious to see if his books were as bad as his videos. The verdict: they are equally as bad. The problem is, Steves isn't an innate or talented traveler, though he apparently has performed a miracle and makes money fooling others that he *is* a great traveler. The Arthur Frommer Guides are much better than these Steves offerings.Problems abound. Steves concentrates most of his time on typical tourist destinations in Venice. Of course it's interesting to read about St. Mark's Sqaure, but does he provide information on how to catch a taxi or streetcar? Of course not. What about hotels? His advice is universally bad. He hasn't a clue on how to locate a low-cost Pensions and opts for dingy tents on the outskirts of town. His suggestions on eating are obtuse. Snacking in Italy is a cinch: go to a bakery in the morning, buy your rolls, cheese and coffee and be on your way. His suggestions of hanging around railway stations and saving a few pennies are insulting and poorly rendered. Similarly wretched is his advice on getting about the city and Venice's environs. Forget the gondola, Venice is a walking city, not that Steves bothers to tell you this. Another weakness is Steves' opinions of the city, which basically consists of 10 pages advising you to frequent the cheapest and most touris-ridden spots. If that's all there is to see and do in Venice, then we're in trouble. Truly, this is a terrible book written in plodding, patronizing style, guaranteed to set your nerves a-jangle. Venice is a sublime place: the people, the food, the sights and sounds are fantastic! This book will steer you to the worst tourist traps. Avoid it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great guide.
Review: I just returned from Venice and depended upon this guide for general information, sightseeing guidance, and choosing my hotel. (I also used J.G. Links' Venice for Pleasure for sightseeing advice. Don't go to Venice without it!) I found Steves' book excellent. I stayed at a recommended hotel (Hotel Campiello) and it was just as described. The walks and museum tours are uniformly excellent. Only once did I have trouble and that is because a street named in the Rialto to Frari Church walk is either wrong or the sign identifying it is no longer there. However, the map in the book makes the route clear so that problem was cleared up in about thirty seconds. The writing is breezy, a bit irreverent, and easy to follow. The supplementary information is great. I used Steves' book on Amsterdam on a trip last year and was similarly impressed with that guide. He has me hooked as a steady customer and I will purchase his Rome book before my trip next year.
Rating:
Summary: You're going to LOVE ITALY!
Review: I've been to Italy several times.....Rome, Venice, Florence, Bologna, Milan, some of the hill towns, etc. Here are my reviews of the best guides to meet you r exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!
Rick Steves' books are not recommended. They may be an interesting read but their helpfulness is very poor. They don't do well on updates, transportation details, or anything but the first-time-tourist routine and even that is somewhat superficial on anything but the mega-major sites.
Frommer's
These are time tested guides that pride themselves on being updated annually. Although I think the guides below provide information that is in more depth or more concise (depending on what the guide is known for), if your main concern is that the guide has very little old or outdated information, then this would be a good guide for you.
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.
Blue Guides
Without doubt, the best of the walks guides.... the Blue Guide has been around since 1918 and has extremely well designed walks with lots of unique little side stops to hit on just about any interest you have. If you want to pick up the feel of the city, this is the best book to do that for you. This is one that you end up packing on your 10th trip, by which time it is well worn.
MapGuide
MapGuide is very easy to use and has the best location information for hotels, tourist attractions, museums, churches etc. that they manage to keep fairly up to date. It's great for teaching you how to use the public transportation system. The text sections are quick overviews, not reviews, but the strong suite here is brevity, not depth. I strongly recommend this for your first few times learning your way around the classic tourist sites and experiences. MapGuide is excellent as long as you are staying pretty much in the center of the city.
Time Out
The Time Out guides are very good. Easy reading, short reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other sites, with good public transport maps that go beyond the city centre. Many people who buy more than one guidebook end up liking this one best!
Let's Go
Let's Go is a great guide series that specializes in the niche interest details that turn a trip into a great and memorable experience. Started by and for college students, these guides are famous for the details provided by people who used the book the previous year. They continue to focus on providing a great experience inexpensively. If you want to know about the top restaurants, this is not for you (use Fodor's or Michelin). Let's Go does have a bewildering array of different guides though. Here's which is what:
Budget Guide is the main guide with incredibly detailed information and reviews on everything you can think of.
City Guide is just as intense but restricted to the single city.
PocketGuide is even smaller and features condensed information
MapGuide's are very good maps with public transportation and some other information (like museum hours, etc.)
Michelin
Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist destinations. However, the English language Green guide is the one most people use and it has now been supplemented with hotel and restaurant information. These are the serious review guides as the famous Michelin ratings are issued via these books.
Fodor's
Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what:
The Gold Guide is the main book with good reviews of everything and lots of tours, walks, and just about everything else you could think of. It's not called the Gold guide for nothing though....it assumes you have money and are willing to spend it.
SeeIt! is a concise guide that extracts the most popular items from the Gold Guide
PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit
UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out
CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information
Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide
Rating:
Summary: An invaluable guide to Venice
Review: Rest easy and enjoy yourself ,weary traveller,here is your guide to Venice. Rick Steeve's guidebooks are simply the best available to assist the traveller in Europe, and this guide to Venice is no exception.I should know, I have travelled countless times to Europe on business and have used almost every guidebook printed.With this book you will find a charming,friendly hotel that will be clean ,attractive,and centrally located. Most importantly it will not be expensive(by Venice standards.)The guide to restaurants is right on and you will feel that you have become an "insider" to the best of Venice.Museum times and other necessary information is presented clearly and is up to date.
Everyone wants to find the "hidden Venice",where people are friendly and you will meet the Venetians. Everyone wants informed,even opinionated advice on where to go and what to do.Most people want to save money(the dollar is low, the Euro is high right now).This guide provides these things and more.His advice on packing light will save you time at the airport(a real hassle these days). I travelled with only one small carry-on and it made a world of difference in ease of travel.
I was prompted to write after reading the previous review who gave this book only one star!Well,no other guide book that I know of actually re-assures the traveller that you do not have to stay at the Gritti Palace,eat at Harry's bar, and bring lots of clothes to have a good time in Venice. By staying in charming Pensiones, eating where the Venetians eat and travelling light you will actually enjoy yourself much more.This is why these guides are beloved by people of all ages,especially older people(or middle aged like myself) who do not want to backpack and hostel(yes, I want my private bathroom),but who finds the advice in these guides liberating.
A must for the first time visitor to Venice, this guidebook is an invaluable,even revolutionary approach to travel for even the most seasoned traveller.
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